


In the Bed of the Truck

by wincanon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, City Boy Shiro, City/Country Boy Lance, Country Boy Keith, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Farmhand!Lance, Feat. Keith's Ford Truck, Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith is almost 19, Korean Keith (Voltron), Lance is 18, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PTSD Shiro, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, SHEITH - Freeform, Shiro is 23, Veteran!Shiro, farmer!keith, klance, set in Georgia, shance, shklance - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 17:01:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12089409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wincanon/pseuds/wincanon
Summary: Keith doesn't know what to expect when he nearly smashes his truck into a wrecked car on the road back to his house. It certainly isn't that he's going to find a man that's set to change his life, or to realize that another integral part of his future has been here all along.Shiro, with only a car full of things to his name and nowhere to go, is more than thankful to the man who offers him a place to stay during the storm and a temporary job afterwards. Never does he think that one day he'll be grateful to the branch that shattered his windshield.Lance just didn't want to be alone during the storm and had gone to Keith's house seeking refuge for the night. Instead he finds a new stranger with a ton of stories and a different side to Keith that leaves him wondering what each day might hold.





	In the Bed of the Truck

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was supposed to be just a country boy Keith/city boy Shiro story, and then I mentioned Lance like once and realized there was a lot to work with as well if I just made it into a Shklance story, so here we are. For that matter, if you have any suggestions concerning the whole city/country boy dynamic or even any ideas concerning the story in general, I'd love to hear them!
> 
> Also, I set this in Georgia as opposed to Texas because I figured the actual state didn't matter much and I'm more familiar with Georgia. Therefore, the way Keith speaks is sort of a rendition of my perception of the Southern/Georgia accent (I literally live here, fight me lol). 
> 
> Another note, this is also primarily my first time writing these guys for real, so I hope I'm depicting them correctly. Oh, and we're assuming prosthetics are more advanced in their world so Shiro's arm is still just metal and reactive to his thoughts like a normal arm. XD 
> 
> So, without further ado, do enjoy! Chapter number is subject to change. Suggestions, comments, kudos and the like are greatly appreciated! <3

Keith liked to think he led a simple life, at least from an outsider's point of view. 

Afterall, small town Georgia wasn’t much of a place to try and foster one’s dreams unless they revolved around a farm or a family. Keith’s revolved around neither, but this was the one place where he’d made himself a home after moving around so much for so many years, and he wasn’t eager to leave. So he’d decided to take a year-long break between senior year and college, and in that timeframe he’d figure out something to do with his property and whatever he would do with his education. 

But for now there were heavier worries on his mind. 

The last hurricane had swung further west than anybody had predicted and nobody was prepared for it. He’d barely had time to secure his equipment and animals before the first winds hit. It seemed as though everything would hold out. Mostly he worried about falling branches and the possibility that some of the cattle would be injured. Somehow he and Lance had managed to round up all of the free-range chickens into the safety of a stall within the horse stable. Though it might stress them, he was sure it was better than leaving them out to face the storm. His gelding Buck and his two mares, Domino and Blondie, were also in the stable, and he’d need to check on them as well as the cattle when things got worse. 

He had more than enough food for himself and the animals to last for weeks and hopefully enough water gathered. Enough of both even that he’d made sure to offer his assistance to the McClains should they need it, as well as to Pidge and Hunk and everyone else that helped out on his land. This may or may not have been from a mix of wanting to help and also not wanting to weather the storm alone. 

For now though, he was. He sat in his living room, blinds and curtains open, television on the local news station. It was only mildly stressful to watch the giant limbs of the oak tree in his backyard swaying with the force of the winds, and it wasn’t helping that Shadow was pacing anxiously. Meanwhile, Lilly laid curled up on the back of the couch, not paying the storm any mind. She was, however, watching the German Shepherd pace which was definitely an expression of irritation if he’d ever seen one in a cat. 

“Shadow,” Keith said, patting the couch beside him. The dog jumped up without hesitation and laid his head in Keith’s lap. Keith scratched absentmindedly at his ears while he watched the news. 

What was hitting now was the worst they’d have to deal with. It was broadcast to die down soon but they’d still be dealing with substantial wind and rain for the rest of the evening. Unsurprisingly, tomorrow’s forecast was a mix of partly cloudy and sunny, like nothing ever happened. Georgia weather at its finest. 

He sighed and stood, turning off the television and shrugged on the raincoat that was thrown over the back of the recliner and pulled on his boots. Shadow was already at his feet, undoubtedly not planning on parting with Keith during the storm and Keith didn’t mind because he enjoyed his company as well. He grabbed the keys to his truck and a few other things before heading out into the downpour, rushing to his truck and throwing open the door to let Shadow in before climbing in himself. 

“Dude, scoot over,” Keith huffed, pushing at the wet dog to get into the passenger seat instead of the place left open by the center console being folded back.

But no, Shadow was intent on staying where he was and Keith rolled his eyes but didn’t care enough to try and continue. He turned on the truck and drove out first to the stable, windshield wipers waving furiously as he navigated fallen branches and muddy puddles. The outside wasn’t damaged when he pulled up, and he left the truck running and Shadow inside to check on the horses and chickens. He stepped into Blondie’s stall, running a hand over her neck and flank and making sure she was doing alright and had more than enough food and water. Of course he made sure the others did as well, but he couldn’t help but be a bite more nitpicky over his pregnant mare, though she still had a few months left before foaling.

Everything in the stables was fine though, and when he made his way back out to his truck, the rain had calmed a little though the wind still battered the trees around him. He climbed up into the driver’s seat and reversed, driving around the paddocks and the horse field and heading out towards the cattle fields. Though he had to get out once more to open and close the gates, everything seemed to be running smoothly. He drove the perimeter of the field, ensuring that the fence hadn’t been snapped by any fallen branches or trees. There were snapped branches of course and one of the big pecan trees had fallen but none had damaged the fences nor injured the cattle, who he checked over after the fences. 

They all seemed to be fine as well and he finally let himself relax. The rain was still light and the wind was bursting in gusts rather than sustained winds, so when he closed the gates behind him, he decided to take the long way around back to his home, curious if there was any other damage along the roadway. So he cut through the sparse pines up to the road and continued on his way. There weren’t any cars in sight, both because of the hurricane and because of the fact that it wasn’t a main road, not for most anyway although Keith knew the backroads of his county like the back of his hand. 

Shadow sat in the passenger seat still, gaze trained out the window and Keith scratched at his dark fur, earning himself a lick on the cheek which he quickly wiped at, huffing good naturedly. He turned his gaze back to the road just in time to stop himself from rear-ending a car that was just around the curve, stopped in the middle of the pavement. He slammed on the brakes and threw an arm out to keep Shadow safe as the truck skidded to a stop.

Keith could see that a limb had fallen across the car’s windshield and hood and both were in terrible shape. “Fuck,” Keith breathed, throwing the truck into park, turning on the hazard lights, and pulling up the hood of his jacket before getting out. He rushed up to the driver’s side window and knocked against the glass. The driver inside gave him a sort of wide-eyed look and Keith watched as he pried his fingers away from the viselike grip he had on the steering wheel to pop open the door. 

“Y’alright?” He asked, leaning down to look at the man. Probably not much older than him, odd choice in both hair coloring and style, and built. Keith was jealous only slightly of the latter which wasn’t helped by the fact that the man was very attractive, but that was completely besides the point of what was happening. 

“Uhm....yeah, yeah, I’m okay,” the man said slowly, and it was obvious he wasn’t from around there, probably was one of the millions that had evacuated north because of the hurricane. He looked from Keith back to the branch that had shattered and completely busted through his windshield and it was obvious it had only _just_ happened and the man was still very much in shock. Glass bits dusted his clothes and seat and the car’s interior was quickly dampening from the rain. “I just-I didn’t even see it coming.”

“It happens,” Keith said, straightening to look at the branch and then back down to the driver. “You from around here?”

A shake of the head. 

“Ya’ got some place to go?”

A pause, then another shake of the head. 

Keith nodded. “Alright. Help me get the branch off and if it’s driveable you can follow me back to my place.”

The man was a bit slow to act but eventually grabbed a jacket from the passenger seat and pulled it on as Keith was assessing the damage to the car. It very much did not look driveable. Not only had the branch pierced the windshield and dented the hood but a much larger piece had been somewhat run over and shoved up under the car though thankfully it seemed like they could handle it. 

“We can get the one off the hood and I can pull you back to my place. It doesn’t look driveable.”

“Can’t I just call a tow truck?” The man asked.

Keith huffed a slight noise of amusement. “You’d be lucky to get one out here today at all, much less one that wouldn’t charge ya’ a shit ton for it.”

The man nodded, mumbled an “okay”, and the two of them grabbed the branch and pulled it off of the car, dragging it back out of the road enough that another unfortunate driver wouldn’t have a similar run in. They turned their attention to the other branch but it was _not_ budging unless they moved the car first. 

“Put the car in neutral and turn it off,” Keith said. “I’ll hook it to my truck and pull you back, just make sure to steer.”

The man looked at him for a long moment, blinking in confusion. “Is that safe?”

Keith shrugged. “Mostly,” he said, and when more questions didn’t follow, he pulled a chain out of the toolbox and linked the car to his truck, making sure everything was secure before making sure that the other driver was ready before climbing into his truck and slowly accelerating. 

Once the car was free of the branch, he got out again and met the other driver, but before he could say anything the man said, “Don’t let the car roll, I’ll move the branch,” and Keith raised a brow but obliged. At least the muscles weren’t just for show. The guy went on to pull the branch back out of the road and it was in doing so that Keith realized the man only had one hand. 

Well, he had both hands, but his right one was definitely a prosthetic, one of the newest metal Either way, Keith turned his attention away from it to the driver when he returned. “I’ll bring you back to my house and you can stay there at least until the storm passes over.”

The man nodded again and Keith turned to head back to the his truck when he heard, “Thank you.”

“Don’ mention it,” Keith said over his shoulder before getting back into his truck.

 

In retrospect, Shiro should have thought this out. 

All he’d known was that he had to get out of Arizona, especially Phoenix.

The city was not only stifling in temperature but stifling his mind. He felt like he couldn’t get a deep breath, like something was constantly crushing his lungs and clenching his heart until it beat faster and faster until it was pounding in his head and he couldn’t even think. 

So he’d just made a rash decision-and he wasn’t one for rash decisions-packed his few belongings into his car, and drove. He’d been about to be evicted from his ragtag apartment anyway, and it wasn’t like he’d been able to hold down a steady job since returning to the US after his tours overseas. He’d sold off his furniture and turned around and put the money into gas and food to make it east. He didn’t really know why he’d chosen east aside from the fact that he didn’t want to go west and didn’t want to go north, which left only the eastern US, given if he went any further south he’d pretty much be in Mexico. 

He’d gotten onto I-10, a straight shot all the way to Jacksonville, Florida, although he didn’t know what he’d intended to do from there. He’d passed through five states and was near Florida’s capital when he’d realized he’d really fucked up and there was a hurricane on his ass. To avoid the worst traffic, he’d gotten off of the interstate and headed north, and thanks to some miscalculations on his phone and his attempts at finding just one open restaurant to eat at, he’d ended up on the backroads somewhere in southern Georgia.

He had no service, no food, and no shelter from the storm which very easily caught up to him, and he was starting to lose hope. He should have never done this. He should have just stayed in Phoenix, let the city crush him until there was nothing left. 

And then the branch had nearly crushed him instead.

Shiro had still been reeling from the accident when somebody had appeared outside his car, the first somebody he’d seen in miles, a cute somebody at that, but Shiro had very little time to focus on that as he snapped out of his reverie and helped with the branches. 

After that, everything was a bit blurry, and soon he was trying to steer his car in reverse along unfamiliar roads. The rain had picked up again and he could see the effects of the wind but he tried to keep his eyes on the road though it was only maybe fifteen minutes later when the white truck swung into a long, winding driveway lined by pecan trees. He might have had more time to appreciate the view if it wasn’t for the weather and the situation he was in and soon enough they were at the end of it anyway.

The guy pulled his car up under a metal carport, leaving his own truck out in the open. Shiro got out just as he did, watching as he starting unhooking the chain from the two vehicles. “Is your truck going to be alright like that?” Shiro asked. 

The guy glanced up at him and then out at his truck before back to him. “It’s a Ford,” he said plainly, as though that explained everything. Apparently in his mind, it did, so Shiro didn’t push the issue. Instead, he just grabbed his most important bag and looked up at the house he’d been brought to. It very much had a “southern farmhouse” vibe going on. Huge and white with a wraparound porch and picturesque trees in the front yard. The porch swing completed the whole aesthetic.

“Looks like the power’s out,” the guy mumbled as he stood, putting the chain in the back of his truck and looking at the porch. Shiro only then became aware of the dog following him around, a large German Shepherd who sniffed curiously at Shiro but otherwise let him be. “C’mon,” he said, and Shiro followed along dutifully, shielding his bag from the worst of the rain. 

“I didn’t catch your name,” Shiro said as the guy was unlocking the door.

“Name’s Keith. Keith Kogane,” the guy-Keith-said. Shiro couldn’t help but raise a brow at the last name. “Yours?”

“Takashi Shirogane, but you can call me Shiro,” Shiro replied.

“Alright, then. Shiro, this is Shadow,” Keith said, gesturing to the dog as he stepped inside. Shadow’s ears perked at the mention of his name. 

Shiro had never had a dog though he remembered being a child and desperately wanting one. He walked in and let the door close behind them before he knelt down and offered his left hand out to the dog. Shadow sniffed at it curiously and seemed to deem him alright, so Shiro reached out and scratched at his fur, glad that the dog didn’t appear to mind. 

“You can set your stuff on the couch. I’m gonna find somethin to cook,” Keith said, heading off towards the right of the entry way as he shrugged off his jacket. Shiro saw the living room on the left and set his things and jacket down on the couch before slowly making his way towards the kitchen.

“I thought you said the power was out?”

“I’ve still got a grill and charcoal,” Keith said, pulling what looked like hamburger meat out of the fridge. “Plus I was gonna make hamburgers anyway, might as well do it on the grill.”

Oh, right. Shiro stood in the doorway of the kitchen for a long moment before another thought occurred to him. “Are your parents not home?” He hadn’t seen another vehicle but he admittedly hadn’t been looking very hard either. 

Keith didn’t look away from the meat. “I live alone,” he said.

Well damn. Keith was obviously younger than he was and yet the kid seemed to be doing ten times better. “Right, sorry.”

Keith shrugged and changed subjects. “So what’re ya’ doin out this way? You evacuate outta Florida?”

“No. I’m from Phoenix, Arizona,” Shiro said. 

“Comin’ to see family or somethin?”

“Well, no. I just...I had to get out of the city, so I just headed east. I was just outside of Tallahassee when I realized the storm was coming so I ended up here,” Shiro said.

“And the only way to get outta the city was to travel cross-country?” Keith looked to him again and Shiro shrugged and looked away. 

“Something like that.”

“And you didn’t have a hotel booked or anything? Nowhere to go?”

“I drove straight here from Phoenix. I’ve just been staying in my car. Hoping to sort of start new here, I guess. Find a job and maybe somehow a place to stay,” Shiro said, and when he said it out loud it sounded stupid as hell but that was just how things were.

There was another long moment of silence, the only noises that of Keith pattying the hamburger meat and then washing his hands in the water that was gathered in the sink before he said, “I’m gonna need some help cleaning up after this storm, if ya’ want. I’ll pay you for your time.”

Shiro almost didn’t believe what he was hearing. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a few helpers around but everyone is gonna have their hands full after this,” Keith said. “I’ve got enough rooms you can say here too and between myself and a friend o’mine I think we can get your car fixed.”

Shiro couldn’t help the smile in response. “Thank you, really, I’ll do anything you need.”

Keith nodded and there was a long moment of somewhat awkward silence between them as Keith headed out to the front porch and Shiro followed him. Keith dumped the charcoal into the grill and Shiro sat down in one of the chairs. 

“So, Kogane, huh? That’s not a very…American name,” Shiro said.

“Neither is Takashi, or Shirogane,” Keith countered. 

Shiro chuckled. “You’re right, they’re not,” he said, and it seemed like Keith wasn’t going to spill first so he said, “I was born in Hamamatsu, Japan, moved to San Francisco when I was six.”

“I’ve lived in the US all my life,” Keith said as he lit the black lumps aflame. “My mother was Korean. My dad was from around here.”

Shiro didn’t miss the past tense but he sure didn’t question it. “What’s it like, “around here”, I mean?”

“South Georgia at it’s finest,” Keith said, glancing over at him. “Mostly a buncha old straight white men and their chicken-butt haircut wives preaching the good word of God and praising Trump in the same breath.” 

Shiro laughed at that, didn’t really know the last time he had laughed, and once he composed himself couldn’t help but ask, “”Chicken-butt haircut?””

“A friend o’mine thought that was clever,” Keith said, edge of amusement in his voice, and then he added, “Not to say that there aren’t good people around here too, and they’re worth findin if you can get past everything else being shoved down your throat.”

A phone went off then and Keith said, “Speak of the devil,” and he stepped inside to answer it. 

Shiro stayed out on the porch, listening to the rain falling all around them and the winds rushing through the trees. He could hear Keith talking inside too and Shiro was already eternally grateful for the young man helping him out and even going so far as to offer him a temporary job. Now he just needed to secure a place to stay-

Come to think of it, this house was huge. Had to be a good four or five bedrooms and yet Keith seemed to be the only one to live there. It had to be lonely, but Shiro wouldn’t dare ask Keith to stay here as well except….well, he might have to. Or maybe he could just ask Keith to drive him to a nearby hotel or shelter or something. 

Keith walked back out while he was in the middle of his thoughts, carrying the plate of patties though there were now significantly more on it. “You said you don’t have a place to stay, yeah?”

“Right, I don’t,” Shiro said.

“You can stay here then, if ya’ want. We’ll probably get started on cleanup tomorrow. My friend is gonna come stay for a while too,” Keith said. “His power’s out too and his parents are heading to try and help relief efforts down south.”

Shiro automatically felt relieved. “Thank you, Keith,” he said.

“Don’ mention it.”

 

Lance might have been a little too eager to call up Keith when his power had gone out, but Keith had offered, so he was just taking him up on that. 

So he’d just made sure that everything in the house would be safe and turned off when the power came back on and made sure the water temperature in the fish tank wouldn’t fluctuate too much before calling Keith. Keith’s power was also out, but Lance would much rather be at his house than being alone during the storm. He’d gotten Sweetie up into the car-it wasn’t like it took much effort, the golden retriever was always up for a ride-and driven out to Keith’s.

He had to take a few detours, both because trees were down across the roads and also because some had snapped power lines, and all he could think of was his ma warning him “Mijo, _if you ever go around downed power lines and get electrocuted, I will raise you from the dead just to send you back myself.”_ And then she’d smile because she thought she was so clever with her threats. 

Apparently she had been, because Lance was not going anywhere near the fallen lines or downed trees and it took him a half-hour to navigate his way to Keith’s in what should have been a straight ten minute ride. He managed to keep himself occupied with the radio though, singing along to songs and soon enough, he pulled into Keith’s driveway and through the puddles up to the house. 

The first thing he was aware of was that there was a car he’d never seen before parked where Keith’s truck usually was. The second was that the car was pretty badly torn up, and Lance wanted to know who’s it was and what was going on. He parked beside Keith’s truck and pulled up the hood of his jacket before getting out. 

“C’mon, Sweetie,” he called, waiting for her to dash out of the car and up to the porch before following along with his small bag of clothes for the night. The door was open though the screen one was closed and Shadow barked excitedly on the other side of it. Sweetie barked right back and Lance opened the door to let the two of them reunite even though it had literally only been like a week since they’d seen each other. 

“Keith?” He called, glancing around the house. 

“Kitchen,” Keith called back, and Lance dropped his bag first on the couch, furrowing a brow in confusion upon seeing another bag sitting there as well but figuring he’d ask Keith in a minute. Lilly looked up at him from the back of the couch and _mrowed_ and he cooed at her and scratched under he chin before making his way into the kitchen.

He paused just inside the doorway, seeing one of the hottest men he had ever seen sitting in Keith’s kitchen-and this time he didn’t mean Keith. The guy was easily over six feet tall and damn he was built. His fucking _thighs._ Lance wanted to be crushed between them immediately. _”Tremendo mangon,”_ he breathed, earning two raised brow looks. 

“What?” Keith asked. 

“Oh, uh, “big storm”,” Lance said, quickly covering up his slip. “There’s trees down everywhere.”

“Yeah, one fell right on my car,” the guy said, running a hand back through his white tuft of hair. What an odd style choice, but somehow it didn’t look bad on him. He had a scar across the bridge of his nose too but it didn’t detract from his attractiveness.

“Man that sucks! I was wondering whose car,” Lance said and held out a hand, not wanting to be weird. “I’m Lance.”

“Shiro,” the man said with a welcoming smile, shaking Lance’s hand with one that was definitely a prosthetic. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Lance said. “You know Keith?”

“Only because he helped me out with my car, thankfully. I don’t know what I would have done otherwise.”

“No way?! Keith was nice to you? You are a lucky man, Shiro.”

“Lance,” Keith all but groaned. “I didn’t invite you over so you could insult me.”

“Sorry, Keith, I’m just surprised,” Lance said in mock shock, taking a seat alongside Shiro at the bar and smiling at him again. “Where you from?”

“Phoenix,” Shiro said, but he added, “I’m originally from Japan though.”

“Oh yeah? I’m from Miami, but originally Varadero, Cuba,” Lance said. “What’re you doing down here?”

“I was just looking for a new start. Ended up here,” Shiro said. “I’m helping Keith clean up after the storm and then...” He shrugged. “Whatever comes next.”

“Well if you’re looking for the small town feel this is the best place for it,” Lance said. “I can show you around town when the weather clears up.” Man, Shiro definitely seemed to have a story behind him and Lance was curious to learn about it. Maybe showing him around town could be a way to learn it if Shiro was willing.

“Sure,” Shiro said and Lance internally celebrated. While every part of him doubted the guy was gay or bi or anything that gave Lance a chance with him, he could still very much appreciate the view while also trying to distract himself from Keith. “I can’t even boil water so I’ll need to know every restaurant in town.”

“Oh I can so do that,” Lance said. “Downtown is great for food and it’s not super expensive, and my Abuela Benita’s cooking is worth dying for. She’s visiting my older siblings up in Athens right now though, but if you’re still around when she gets back I’ll make sure to get some of it for you.”

“That sounds amazing, Lance, thank you,” Shiro said.

“No problemo,” Lance hummed, seeing now that Keith was cutting up toppings for hamburgers. “Oh in the meantime, Keith is alright on the grill.”

“Just “alright”? Last week you and Hunk were drooling over the chicken I made,” Keith countered. 

“That was because we hadn’t eaten all day-”

“I can show you to the door,” Keith said. 

“No, no, no, I’m sorry,” Lance quickly apologized, getting up from his stool and grabbing plates for them before snagging a piece of pickle off of the plate and eating it. He made an overdramatic noise. “Keith, you cooked those pickles to perfection~”

“Get out of my house, Lance.”

 

After their late lunch, the wind had finally ceased for the most part and the rain was but a light sprinkle. Lance was playing three war tug o’war with Shadow and Sweetie, Shiro was out getting things from his car, and Keith was outside doing whatever farmer thing he was doing. 

Lance fought with the two dogs over the toy before finally releasing it, letting them going at it before turning his attention to Keith as he walked in. “Keith, hey, listen. You gotta keep this dude around,” Lance said. 

Keith raised a brow. “Why?”

Lance scoffed. “”Why?” Are you serious? Have you gone blind?” He waved his hand in front of Keith’s face and Keith swatted at it. “He’s literally like the hottest thing I have ever laid my eyes on?? You can’t tell me you didn’t notice. Keith, honey, I will take away your gay card.”

“Shut up, Lance,” Keith snapped though there wasn’t much heat behind it and after a moment, “Yeah, I noticed.”

“It’s totally why you picked him up, isn’t it?”

“I picked him up because I wasn’t going to leave him in a damaged car during a hurricane,” Keith deadpanned. 

“Well yeah, but I’m sure you were really eager about it once you realized he was hot. We’ve got to figure out if he’s straight or not.”

“Lance. There’s like a ninety-nine percent chance he’s straight and you know that.”

Lance wasn’t going to let it go that easily because, “But Keith, what if he’s not?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Then go for it, Lance.”

“So are you going to keep him around for me?” _Please say yes, please say yes._

Keith raised a brow before he relented, arms crossing over his chest. “I thought about offering him a more permanent job-”

“Yes,” Lance dragged the word on for a full three seconds. “You are the man!”

“But you heard him, he’s from Phoenix, and he lived in San Francisco before that. He’s probably never stepped foot on a farm in his life. How’s he gonna be helpful to me?”

“I’ll show him how to do everything,” Lance offered.

“Fine,” Keith said. “But we’re starting clean up in the mornin.”

“I’ll stay the night! You have two guest bedrooms, right?” Keith nodded. “Okay, then!” Lance grabbed his bag off of the couch before going upstairs towards the guest bedrooms. It didn’t seem like Shiro had picked one of the rooms to stay in yet so Lance slipped into his favorite one and dropped his bag on the bed. 

The room was pretty nicely decorated, a surprise given Keith was the owner and Lance had never really pinned him as the decorative type, but the entire house had a cozy and clean feel to it. Lance also couldn’t help but think that much of it was thanks to his own mother, who had more or less tried to take Keith in as one of her own and often insisted Lance bring him over food or invite him for dinner. And despite Keith always acting like not much of a people person, he was respectful of his mother and rarely turned her down, and that was something Lance greatly appreciated in him, Much less that he let Lance help out around his land as well and actually paid him nicely for it without being an ass. Well, not more so than Keith was usually an ass anyway. 

Lance flopped down on the bed, smiling when he heard the drumming of claws on the wooden stairs and only seconds later, Shadow and Sweetie joined him on the bed. “Hey guys,” Lance said happily, scratching at both of them and lavishing them in attention. 

He heard footsteps following up the stairs and a moment later looked up to see Shiro glancing into the room and he flashed a smile. “Hey Shiro. You can take the other guest bedroom if that’s fine. I usually stay in this one.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Shiro said, giving a similar smile. He had the rest of his bags in hand but set them down in favor of petting the dogs. “What are their names?”

“That’s Shadow, he’s Keith’s,” Lance said, pointing at the darker dog. “This is Sweetie, she’s mine.”

“Huh. I never had a dog,” Shiro said. “They’re cute.”

“Oh yeah, they’re the best. Keith taught Shadow all sorts of tricks but Sweetie is stubborn and only does them for food,” Lance said, petting at her soft ears. 

Shiro hummed a noise and petted them for a moment before asking, “Do you know how long it’ll be before the power is back on?”

“Probably only a few hours,” Lance said.

Shiro nodded and then stepped back. “Well I’ll be in the other bedroom then.”

“Alright,” Lance said, and Shiro left the room, closing the door behind him. Lance laid his head on Shadow’s flank and his tail slapped against Lance’s shoulder. “You two better work your magic. If dogs can be chick magnets then I need you two to be Shiro magnets too.”

Sweetie’s tail started wagging as well and he hoped that was a sign that everything would work in his favor.


End file.
